Even though Lake Highlands senior Ricky Zorn couldn’t go wrong with any of his college options, he still had a tough time making a decision on where to continue his academic and athletic careers.
It finally came down to a choice between Harvard of the Ivy League or the Air Force Academy. Even Tuesday night, when Zorn played in a basketball game for LH, he and his family still did not know where he was going.
Finally, at 8:12 a.m. Wednesday in front of a crowd gathered in the LH Student Center for signing day ceremonies, Zorn held up his commitment letter. It had the Harvard seal.
"I’m going to to Harvard," Zorn announced, which prompted applause and cheering from the crowd.
Zorn (pictured with twin sister Ashley) and his family spent some restless nights the last few weeks trying to decide. Yale was also in the running until recently. Harvard and Yale, as Ivy League members, do not offer actual athletic scholarships, but it’s hard to put a price tag on the prestige and connections that come with their degrees.
Zorn’s education would have been paid for at Air Force, which also plays FBS (Division I) football – the highest level of college football. But the military lifestyle and the five-year service commitment after college are serious considerations.
"I had so many great places to choose from," Zorn said. "The big thing is I just wanted to go to Harvard. I had a chance to go to one of the best schools in the world and play football with one of my best friends (LH alum and current Harvard player Reid McCann)."
While Air Force was enticing, Zorn said the fact he was wavering at all about the academy told him it wasn’t the right fit for him.
"I didn’t see myself going through that and the commitment after it," Zorn said. "The commitment of nine years of your life is a lot."
For Zorn, ranked second in his senior class, the commitment to Harvard was ultimately a no-brainer.
